You Can Observe a Lot
by Cynlee
Summary: Leo assumes, and we all know what happens when you "assume".


_I was bored. TMNT evidently now totally only belong to Peter Laird, but no one can ever take away the fact that Kevin Eastman is also their daddy._

**You Can Observe a Lot...**

_You can observe a lot by just watching._

_- Yogi Berra_

_Nothing in his training had prepared him for someone like **her**._

_Older--yes, he could tell she was older; more skilled not because of training but because of actual experience. She had been raised in the "open" more or less, active even while learning. HE, on the other hand, had had to train in secret, until the exact moment when it had been the most effective time to set him and his brothers upon an unsuspecting yet dangerous world._

_Many adventures shaped them both; many life or death situations confronted their young lives, and yet they were hard enough-- strong enough-- brave enough-- to prevail!_

_They both had done things that deep down caused hidden grief and doubt; yet both, with a philosophy that would baffle the most wisest of wise men, had "sucked it up" as it were, and had survived, and had prevailed..._

_And then, on one fateful night, they had met..._

_And the two would never be the same._

_HONOR._

_Such a deadly and dangerous word!_

_HER honor dictated her blind devotion to the man who had saved her, who had plucked her from the starvation and obscurity of countless other orphans-- who had, for some still unknown reason (even to himself) allowed his "heart" to be touched by this apparently undistinguished girl and adopted her, raising her to be his most trusted person in his long and lonely life; raising her to be the most loyal being who would ever draw breath, despite his crimes and dishonorable actions!_

_Raising her as his own flesh and blood!_

_And the other-- existing because of an accident; existing because of Fate if you will; and being raised in hiding, raised by someone also who would be considered an adopted father by others-- but not by him! Oh, no, not by him-- HIS father was, to him, just as close as blood as HER father was to HER!_

_Is it any wonder they would clash?_

_Is it any wonder that they would share beliefs, share conflicts, share..._

_...Love?_

"Mikey, what the hell is this?" Leo's voice boomed out louder and angrier than anything Raph had been able to produce in his entire life.

Mike, startled more by the use of "hell" than the shouting, saw the precious script for the comic he had so long and lovingly labored over, the angst-filled tale of star-crossed lovers from rival clans-- a sort of Ninja "Romeo and Juliet", if you will, in the hands of a furiously blushing (Yes, turtles can blush) older brother.

"What are you doing with my masterpiece?" he asked, moving quickly to retrieve his ticket to fame and fortune.

"This-- this-- trash-- is a masterpiece?" Leo countered, deftly keeping the "book" away from his questing little brother. "This is too much! TOO MUCH! How can you write about me like this? About HER like this? Are you crazy? I can't believe this-- it's disgusting!"

"It's not disgusting! Gimme back my story!"

"I won't allow it! Master Splinter will hear of this!" Leonardo had never appeared so angry. He read from the script that Mike was desperately trying to rescue. "_ 'Would the PASSION they harbored for each other be stronger than the HONOR that demanded this blood feud? Would this BURNING LOVE be enough to save both clans from destruction?'_ What the hell? What are you talking about? That is pure TRASH as well as UNTRUE! I refuse to let you write like this about US!"

By now, naturally, Raph and Don were watching this little battle, taking in every word their older brother was spewing forth; making note of such phrases as "We were only friends!" and "I could never love her!" and "She destroyed our home!".

Mike finally stopped struggling to get back his comic... laughter had been building in him as what Leo's angry words began to sink in, and finally he could not stand up, he was so overcome.

Leo blinked in surprise. Mike was on the floor, tears of mirth streaming down his face as his raucous laughter filled the huge living area of their pumping station home.

"You-- you--" he wheezed out between loud guffaws, "You-- think it's-- Oh, man, I'm dyin'! -- think it's about-- you and Karai??"

And he rolled back on his shell, giving himself up to helpless laughter.

Leo was so stunned that Raph had no trouble snatching the crumpled story from his grasp. He began to read it, Don peering over his shoulder, while Leo stood there, desperately trying to find the words to defend himself.

He was still struggling to produce something intelligible (though all they heard was "but-but-but-she-you-I mean-but-but..") while Mike, who had managed to get up off the floor, vanished into his room and returned with a drawing tablet. He held out a sketch to his brother, but Leo couldn't really see it, his brother's hand was shaking so hard from his laughter.

Taking the tablet, he studied briefly the picture, searching for visual proof that Mike was writing about "them"-- but the woman, aside from carrying a katana and being Japanese, was nothing like Karai... and the warrior she was facing off with looked like a Japanese version of Casey, only with more hair and an intelligent look on his face.

Leo could feel the heat in his own visage.

THEN he could feel the eyes of Don and Raph staring at him. They'd finished reading, and were studying Fearless Leader with serious expressions.

"You thought this is about you and Karai?" Raph managed to get out in a calm voice-- then a snort escaped him, a snort that was joined by the rapid laughter of Don. "Bro, you must be whack!"

"No, I think it just hit too close to home. Leo, you sly turtle! And we never knew," Don said, an evil grin playing upon his features as he began to chant, "_Karai and Leo, sitting in a tree--_"

The fight was quick and useless. Leo managed to get in a few good smacks, but he was no match for the endless-- indeed, GROWING laughter that his brothers aimed at him. Finally he fled the room, fled the home, fled into the night to run across rooftops until the echoes of such shame were shaken from his head.

Meanwhile, back at the lair, Michelangelo was finishing up telling Splinter (who had made his appearance when the sound of fighting informed him that he was wanted) the story-- both of what he was writing as well as Leo's interpretation. Splinter did not laugh as the story was related. Instead he took a deep, calming breath, even as he reread the words.

"I do think that you would be well-advised to not mention this again," Sensei ordered rather than suggested. "All of you," he added, as a flash of warning alerted the two others to let it just drop once Leonardo was home.

"Hai, Sensei," they all said, bowing in agreement (fingers mentally crossed).

"And Michelangelo, please be sure to show this to me once you are finished," Splinter continued. "To **me**," he stressed the pronoun, and Mike bowed again, knowing that he'd better not mentally cross anything where this was concerned.

Once Splinter left the room, the others were free to chuckle over their brother's assumptions for a little while.

"I can't believe Leo actually thought this was about him and Karai," Raph shook his head. "I mean, c'mon! I know he liked her, but he sure jumped to some huge conclusions!"

"But you have to admit, he certainly was embarrassed," Don pointed out. "And where there's smoke, there's fire."

"Naw! Leo ain't like that! He hates Karai," Raphael scoffed. "But it sure was funny, him gettin' all embarrassed like that!"

"Anyway, it wasn't about them," Mike asserted. Then he became aware of the others staring at him. "What?"

When they didn't answer, Mike shrugged.

"Well... it isn't MUCH about them... and besides, all great fiction is rooted in some grain of truth. After all, you can observe a lot by just watching," he hinted, leaving the room with his precious masterpiece and his brothers with a vague and sickening feeling that Mike knew something...

Don and Raph exchanged looks; then as one they went "Naaawwww!" and returned to life as usual.


End file.
